Covington residence is now assisted care home — Solution Care Homes debuts in River Forest with six bedrooms

EditorNovember 25, 2017Comments Off on Covington residence is now assisted care home — Solution Care Homes debuts in River Forest with six bedrooms

By KEVIN CHIRI

Tammany West news

COVINGTON – The newest option in assisted living is ready to debut in Covington.

Solution Care Homes is ready to accept room reservations for its assisted care facility in River Forest that is actually a former personal residence, now renovated to a six-bedroom assisted living home.

The smaller housing option for assisted care living appears to be catching on quickly across the nation. There are already two homes in western St. Tammany Parish, but business partner Craig Condon said Solution Care Homes plans to be the first to offer private rooms.

“The other homes we have seen in this new assisted care option are semi-private with two people per room. We decided right at the beginning to make the rooms available for private occupancy,” he said.

Condon teamed up with four other businessmen to head into the newest assisted care venture. Solution Care Homes will open in a matter of weeks at their 5 S. Division Drive location in River Forest where they have completely renovated the former residence into a six-bedroom, two-and-a-half bath facility that is beginning to take reservations for individuals who need assistance with daily living.

“This is the newest thing in assisted living and people seem to really like it since this truly gives your loved one very personalized care,” Condon said. “In our home we will have one caretaker to six people while most conventional assisted care facilities have one caretaker for considerably more people.”

Solution Care Homes will open its doors in a matter of weeks and is beginning to take reservations for the six available bedrooms. You can call 504-278-0309 for more information or an application.

Condon is joined by Randy Meyer, John Bono, Mike Bono and John Wade as the business partners in the new venture. Meyer and Condon had previously been business associates in various real estate dealings, while the Bonos are attorneys and Wade is a veterinarian.

How did they make a move into assisted living facilities, especially when they must follow the Department of Health and Hospital standards exactly like any of the larger assisted care living facilities?

“We always knew there was a need to have this kind of more personalized care,” Meyer said. “I found that out the first time I tried to get my parents in a home like this and there was a three year wait.”

After the men discussed the possibility of purchasing a residence and turning it into an assisted care facility Condon had the responsibility of the day-to-day operations with the support of the partners.

“What I found is that people much preferred the smaller situation,” he said. “We will provide home-cooked meals each day, we will have a Certified Nursing Assistant on hand and meals will be planned by a dietician.

“We had to meet every regulation larger facilities had to meet,” he said. “The entire house was gutted in many areas so everything is handicap accessible. This is as close to someone staying at home as you can get. We are much less institutionalized than the larger developments.”

For those fortunate enough to get a spot in the first Covington assisted living “home” it will seem just like the residents are coming to their own home when they pull into the driveway.

Walking into the front door you are greeted by a huge living room, then there are two other separate visiting rooms or socializing rooms for residents and their families—all with TVs.

One of the most outstanding amenities in the home is the backyard, nearly a half-acre of beautiful property with large trees, a covered porch, a large deck and plenty of space for residents to relax and enjoy the outdoors.

“One great amenity about this area of Covington is that we are on the outskirts of town and there are so many birds flying about the trees. The feeling is very tranquil. It’s really a wonderful area for our residents to sit and relax,” Condon said.

The home has arranged a Registered Nurse to handle medication administration and the owners have installed a commercial fire sprinkler and fire alarm system for safety, approved by the state fire marshal. The home is 3,400 square feet and was professionally decorated by Lisambiance Design, a Louisiana licensed interior design firm specializing in hospitality and assisted living.

“We wanted to make this feel like your own home—functional, safe, uplifting and convenient. The colors are subdued and were selected for a neutral and warm atmosphere” Lisa Condon said.

Reservations can now be made for Solution Care Homes, which offers residents dignity, privacy, gracious surroundings and personalized 24-hour assistance.” Call 504-278-0309 for more information.